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The Endeavour makes its final landing at Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday. The space shuttle launched on its first mission on May 7, 1992. During its 25 flights, it spent 299 days in space and traveled more than 122.8 million miles.

Earth's atmosphere and a starry sky are seen just off the port wing of the docked space shuttle Endeavour. The image was hotographed by the Expedition 28 crew while the shuttle was docked with the space station on the STS-134 mission. Endeavour and the STS-134 crew undocked from the station on Monday. The weather forecast looks "promising," according to NASA, for the Endeavour's nighttime landing to end its final mission, scheduled for Wednesday. The American shuttle program is readying its final launch, of the Atlantis shuttle, for July 8, before it closes down permanently, ending a 30-year program of human spaceflight and exploration.

NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff works on the International Space Station during a seven-hour, 24-minute spacewalk. Also on the spacewalk (visible in the reflections of Chamitoff's helmet visor)was astronaut Michael Fincke. The mission specialists added fixtures to extend the reach of the space station's robotic arm.

Airline passenger Stefanie Gordon, who was aboard a flight from New York to Palm Beach, Fla., photographed the space shuttle Endeavor as it streaked toward orbit shortly after liftoff Monday. Gordon says she had just awakened from a nap on the flight when the pilot announced the shuttle might come into view.

Endeavour’s final flight

Space shuttle Endeavour and its six astronauts returned to Earth on Wednesday morning, closing out the next-to-last mission in NASA’s 30-year program with a safe middle-of-the-night landing.

The space shuttle Endeavour blasted off Monday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida; it’s the final flight for Endeavour and the next-to-last shuttle flight for NASA. Endeavour’s commander is Mark Kelly, husband of wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was at the space center for the launch. After this flight, Endeavour will be sent to its new home at L.A.’s Exposition Park.

That is so sad that its the Endeavour last flight into space. It is a sad time in history when our space shuttles retire. I hope they have more shuttles to come to explore the world of space. I hope everything goes all right with this mission.